LONDON, (Reuters) – An irresistible force met with a very moveable object on Thursday and the result was a record-breaking scoring spree for the U.S. men’s basketball team over a hapless Nigeria at the Olympic Basketball Arena.
The defending champions rolled to a 156-73 victory, scoring the most points ever in an Olympic game on a mind-boggling shooting night spearheaded by Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony made 13 of his 16 shots, including an incredible 10-of-12 from beyond the three-point line for a 37-point haul.
The points total easily eclipsed the previous record of 138 set by Brazil in 1988. The U.S. halftime total of 78 points was also an Olympic record, officials said.
“Every time that I touched it, the ball was going in as far as the zone that I was in,” Anthony told reporters.
The entire U.S. team, given a wide berth by Nigerian defenders, enjoyed an extraordinarily accurate night of target practice as they made 71 percent of their shots, including 29-of-46 from long range, and 30-of-37 from inside the arc.
